


The Strongest Bond He Ever Tied

by orphan_account



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Because he gets into shit he doesnt want to be in, First Kiss, From friends to lovers, M/M, Martin should not get drunk, Masturbation, Slow Build, transferring projects
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-01
Updated: 2014-11-08
Packaged: 2018-02-03 01:01:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1725437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daniel and Martin met years ago, through a tranferring project, and the two of them managed to become best friends in merely a week. Now, they haven't seen each other in years. What happens when Martin transfers to Daniel's school, Merseyside High School in Liverpool? Will they start to slip from each other or will they gain a stronger bond than ever, a bond that goes beyond friendship?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a part of a multichaptered Skagger fanfic. I am so excited! :D I hope you'll like it too! If you want to keep up with updates, follow me on Mignoleeet.tumblr.com! I post there everytime a new chapter is out ;)

The first time Daniel and Martin met, they were both very young.

Martin was 15 and he was going through his last year at secondary school in Handlova when his teacher, a nice old lady with nice old lady glasses, wrote up something on the blackboard that for once caught Martin's attention (He tended to zone out and daydream of a better life for himself). 'The European Unions' Comenius project', he muttered to himself. It was written in english, which startled most of the students in the classroom. The girl that sat behind Martin asked why, and to that, their nice old lady teacher merely chuckled, "It's because the Comenius Project is a transfer program for schools, and we would have to communicate in english. I wrote it up because our school has been asked to join the program." She explained, switching to Slovak. She didn't ask if anyone wanted to, if anyone volunteered. Martin got to know why soon enough.

She only asked those with the best english grades in class. Luckily, Martin was one of them. He'd learnt english in hope of someday becoming an international footballer and he'd reckoned it might be nice to know the language, since he had the opportunity anyway. He accepted the offer given to him, got a yes from his parents and suddenly, everything was set up. Martin was a part of the Comenius Project.

He didn't get to know which country he was going to until a month later. His father came in with a letter that read that Martin was being sent to Denmark, to a housing family in Hvidovre, and that he was going to be away for a week. It was an understatement to say that he was excited.

Another month later, Martin was on his way to Denmark. He'd talked a little with the family beforehand, chatted with them on skype, and they all seemed nice. Two parents and three children. He just hope they'd like him, considering that he would live with them for a short while.  
Once his plane landed, Martin walked out of the gate with his suitcase trailing behind him. He quickly spotted a small poster with his name written in capital letters (although they had spelled his last name entierly wrong. It's Škrtel, not Skertle). He walked over almost awkwardly, offering a thin smile at the family in front of him. The first to react was the mother, pulling him into a quick hug, "Hi Martin!" She said in accented english, but Martin still understood, "I'm Marie Agger, and this is my husband Mads." Martin nodded, and shook the father's hand once extended to him, "It's nice to meet you Martin." he said, ruffling his hair. He was introduced to the children, who were two boys and a girl, before they started walking to the car. Marie said he should talk with the youngest one, Daniel. They were going to share a room and they were the same age, so it seemed reasonable that they would become friends. And they certainly did.

Martin was given a quick tour of the house before Daniel helped him take his stuff to his room. A mattress had been prepared for Martin, and Martin was happy that Daniel seemed like a nice guy. Daniel was already a lot taller than him, and he spoke english much better, but they still managed to communicate well, "So what do you do for fun?" Daniel asked Martin as he plopped down on his own bed. Martin barely heard what he said, too interested in Daniel's posters of footballers, "I don't know." Martin answered dumbly, still looking at a poster of a footballer in a blue shirt. He was probably Danish or something, "You don't know?" Daniel asked. Martin turned to look at him and could see the frown on Daniel's face.  
Martin huffed and looked away, feeling a bit embarrassed. Who doesn't know what they do to entertain themselves, "I mean, I play football." He said and looked at Daniel again, who seemed interested, "Really? That's awesome! What position do you play? Midfielder? Striker?" Those were reasonable assumptions, considering how small Martin was for his age, "No, no. I play defense." Martin replied, making Daniel scoff, "Fuck off. You're way too small to be a defender. Look at me, I'm a real defender."   
Daniel grinned, and Martin raised his brow, an amused smile playing on his face, "You're too skinny to be a defender." And that made Daniel pounce on him, forcing him to take those words back. It ended in them laughing after a huge pillow fight.

Their friendship only grew stronger. Martin refused to sit beside anyone else that wasn't Daniel, and Daniel was always the one to offer to help Martin around. It worked out like that, they worked like that. But eventually the week ended. Martin was brought to the airport by the Agger family. Everyone hugged him as he had grown to like them all, like a family in fact. Marie even cried a bit.  
Daniel and Martin hugged the longest. They held onto each other for a minute, wishing they didn't have to be separated, but they knew Martin had to go. Martin pulled back, a sad smile on his face, "I'll skype you." He said as he walked to his gate, waving at them all, wearing an 'I love Denmark' shirt that Mads had bought him. And then Martin was gone.

After that, they talked on skype daily. At first, they video chatted every day, talking about their days and football and other common interests. They even discussed what kind of tattoos they wanted when they got older. As the years went, it eventually became an occasional chat, not anymore video calls. In fact, Martin hadn't seen Daniel's face in a year or so. When Martin turned 18, he planned on changing that. 

They'd talked about it before, that Martin should come back to Denmark to see him and stuff. Martin wanted to go back to Denmark, to Daniel. Daniel wasn't in Denmark more though, so he guessed it didn't count. Apparently, he was attending this school in England to improve his football skills as well as his english  
Martin also wanted to leave because his family in Slovakia was crumbling and Martin didn't want to stay. His father had become...violent, and his mother didn't dare to do anything. It had something to do with money, but they never told Martin anything anymore, so he couldn't be sure.   
It was that that spurred the coming event. Martin was buzzed as he logged onto skype that evening, his door locked so his father wouldn't barge in on him. He grinned to himself as he saw that Dan was on and he clicked on his name to chat with him.

Martin Terminator:   
'Hey, are you there? I have important news.'

Dagger:   
'I'm here, yeah. What's so important that a guy can't have his evening wank?'

Martin Terminator:  
'Gross. But anyway, I have a question first. Which school did you transfer to again?'

Dagger:  
';)'  
'I transferred to Merseyside High School. How come?'

Martin Terminator:  
'My teacher finally said yes! If I want to, I can transfer there! They said I could use that kind of education.'

Dagger:  
'Seriously?! You better not be lying, you bastard!'

Martin Terminator:  
'I'm serious! So you want me to?'

Dagger:  
'Hell yes! Oh my god, I am excited. Go apply immediately, Skrtel!'

Martin Terminator:  
'I will, I swear! I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?'

Dagger:  
'You better. Now leave me alone, I gotta finish what I started.'

Martin:  
'Again: GROSS.'

Martin closed his laptop with a grin. He was really...really going to see Daniel again. And fucking hell- He was going to England, to Merseyside- Wherever the hell that was.


	2. Everyone is a little bit gay

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! So I actually wrote another chapter quickly! I mean wow, I use weeks to write chapters but I'm kind of excited about this story ;) If you want to keep up with updates, follow me on Mignoleeet.tumblr.com! I post there everytime a new chapter is out ;)

Martin woke up in the morning to someone shaking his shoulder. He groaned and rolled around, hiding his face from whoever was trying to make him get up. The shaking continued for another minute, and a few calls of his name, before it stopped and he heard a sigh.

“You will be late for your flight, Martin.” It was his mother. 

At that, Martin rolled around, refusing to open his eyes but he was listening.  
“What time is it?” he asked, voice thick with sleep.

“It’s already five thirty!” His mother stressed, and Martin groaned audibly, “That should be fucking illegal.” He grumbled, receiving a slap to his head, “Ouch!” He cried in surprise and finally opened his eyes to glare at his mum, who was frowning back, “Don’t speak like that in front of me, Martin!” She exclaimed. Martin huffed in annoyance and sat up, rubbing his now bald head. He’d shaved his head off after he’d seen how; well, unnatural hair looked at him (he looked like a fucking boy band member with his high cheekbones and blonde hair). 

His mother sighed and shook her head in exasperation, tsking, “You will have to be ready soon. Your father will drive you.” She said and walked out of his room. Martin spent another minute trying to wake himself up, slapping his cheeks softly a few times before standing up. To him, it was enough encouragement that he was finally going to see Dan again today. 

He looked through his closet, frowning at the clothes he had on display. Half of it was football jerseys or another type of training equipment, while the rest were rather plain clothes. He merely grabbed a striped shirt and jeans, figuring he might as well make it easy. 

Martin wanted to punch himself for thinking about it anyway. Why should he care whether or not he looked perfect? It wasn’t like he was going on a date or something.  
As he walked to the kitchen, he rolled his sleeves up. He sat down by the kitchen table after making himself a bowl of cereal. His plane was departing at 09:30, which meant he had plenty of time before he had to go. He obviously didn’t have to get up at 05:30 if you asked him.  
His phone suddenly buzzed and he grabbed it, earning a disapproving look from his mother that he easily ignored in favor of checking the message. A thin smile spread on his lips as he saw who it was from: D. Agger.

‘Are you up already? If you aren’t, I totally meant to wake you up. I was just wondering when your flight arrives in London, considering I’ll pick you up and all. Don’t want you to get lost or something. They’ll all probably think you’re a child, considering you’re probably as small as when we first met, you fucker.’

Martin huffed as he read the message. They really hadn’t seen each other in a while. Last time Daniel saw Martin he was still blond and he was still 165 centimeters tall. Last time Martin saw Daniel he had this stupid-looking bowl-cut and he was at least ten centimeters taller than Martin. He wondered who’d changed the most, to be honest.

M. Skrtel:  
‘I woke up around 10 minutes ago, so don’t worry. I checked online and it said it was approximately 2 hours, so around 11:30?’

He didn’t to bother with commenting the whole thing about him looking like a child. 

Martin had finished his breakfast before the next text came. Not only that, he had also checked that he had everything he needed in his luggage, checked his money and flight and everything. He sat on his bed, waiting for his father to get ready to drive him to the airport when it came, in fact.

D. Agger:  
‘Yeah, I’ll be waiting by the security stands with a banner with your name on it ;) But it’s hell of expensive to send messages to Slovakia so I’ll see you then, okay?’

M. Skrtel:  
‘I’ll see you then, yeah.’

Martin grinned to himself, excited about seeing Daniel. The last time they’d seen each other, they’d been fifteen. That was three years ago now, and Martin just hoped they would connect as good as back then. 

“What’re you grinning about, brat?” His father barged in; wearing that gloomy and angry expression he’d worn for the last few months. Martin sighed and grabbed his luggage, “Nothing.” He mumbled, pushing past him. His father followed, pushing Martin slightly, “C’mon, it’s not me who’ll have to reach a flight!” His father pestered and if Martin didn’t have more self-control, he’d punch him. It was considered a small thing, really, just pushing him slightly in the back. But in some way it was annoying as hell.

The next few hours were a blur to Martin. He’d hugged his mother goodbye, who’d cried as her only son was setting a foot into the big, blue world. She’d wished him luck and told him to call, which he promised he will. He’d hugged her back tightly- he was really going to miss his mum, no matter how early she woke him up sometimes.

His father was another case entirely. After Martin stepped out of the car, as his father had driven him there, he merely waved half-heartedly and said something like ‘Good to have you away anyway, brat.’ before driving off. 

He sat for two hours on the flight from Slovakia to Stanford Airport outside London. During the whole flight, he’d merely been looking out the window while listening to music from his phone, thinking about what this would be like. He and Daniel had decided that they should live together. Daniel already had two roommates, but Daniel said that his roommates, Steven and Jamie, had said it was cool that Martin lived there too. He was a bit nervous about meeting them, but figured that if Daniel got along with them, he’d probably too. 

But mostly he thought about Daniel. It was kind of ridiculous to admit to himself, but he did. He wondered how he was now, how he looked, what he liked and simply how much he’d changed during those three years.  
_________________________

When Martin landed in London, the clock was already 11:45. He hurriedly picked up his luggage and walked through security, which was a lot stricter than in Slovakia. 

And the queue was a nightmare. It took another 15 minutes before he was allowed to go to the security to put his hand luggage up for search and walked through the monitor. It flashed a quick green.  
Martin was about to grab his stuff to find Daniel as the security woman on the side gestured for him to go over to her. He raised his brow at her, “Random security check. Raise your arms.”  
‘Random my ass’ Martin thought. He was 190 centimeters tall and bald; it was probably not a coincidence. He nevertheless let her check him without a fuss, before he was allowed to continue walking after having picked up his luggage and other stuff.

After the incident with the security lady, Martin looked a bit grim. People almost seemed to back off if he walked in their direction.  
He had another mission though, which did not involve scaring anyone. Not purposely, anyway.  
He had to find Daniel.  
And he wouldn’t have recognized him, hadn’t it been for the small banner with his name written on it. A tall man held it, at least as tall as himself, with dirty blonde hair and a posture that made him look as handsome as ever. As he walked closer, the man looked at him. He had greenish eyes, and freckles all over his face. The man squinted as he walked closer, “Martin?”

Martin widened his eyes slightly because of what he had just thought. He’d just looked at him, at Daniel, and considered him handsome. He was, anyway. 

To not make things more awkward than they already were, Martin nodded, “Yes…Daniel?” He asked dumbly. He was only met with a rich laugh from Daniel and he was suddenly embraced, strong arms wrapping around his body. Martin reciprocated quickly, pounding Daniel’s back a few times before letting go. Daniel was grinning at him, looking him up and down.

“Damn Skittles, you’ve grown all tall and manly!” He laughed, rubbing Martin’s bald head, “And lost all your hair. What happened?” Daniel asked jokingly, and Martin offered a shrug, “I didn’t look good blond.” He explained. That made Daniel laugh again, and Martin smiled. 

“It’s really good to see you again, Martin.” Daniel said and a genuine smile found itself on Daniel’s face, which Martin answered to, smiling back gently, “You too, Dan.”  
They hugged once more before Daniel pulled back, grinning stupidly, “Let’s go before everyone ‘round will think we’re gay as fuck.” Martin didn’t object to that and followed Daniel.  
They took a bus to Liverpool, then a cab to Daniel’s flat. During the whole ride they talked and laughed. They talked about what they’d been doing, how they were and other stuff. Obviously, Daniel showed off his tattoo that he’d gotten on his wrist, while Martin showed off the half-finished sleeves he’d gotten.

The cabbie stopped in front of a huge building, and Daniel probably lived in a flat in one of the stories. Daniel paid the cabbie and Martin got his luggage out. As they walked to the elevator, Daniel frowned as he saw Martin walk. He was limping a bit, “Hey, Skittles, got yourself a leg injury?” He asked. Martin’s teeth clenched slightly before he nodded, “Yeah. I…tackled a guy and he fell on my leg. Nothing to worry about.” He said. Daniel raised his brow, but nodded, “Ah. You’ll need to become a better tackler, then.” Daniel grinned, making Martin punch him lightly in the arm, “I’m probably ten times better than you.” He challenged. “As if!”  
Daniel’s flat wasn’t relatively large, and it was messy as hell. It had two bedrooms (with a bunk bed in each room), one bathroom, a storage closet and a combined kitchen-living room. Daniel showed Martin to one of the bedroom and told him to put his luggage there, “You’ll sleep here, bottom bunk. Stevie and Jamie occupied the other room, the biggest.” Daniel explained and Martin nodded, sitting down on the bottom bed. It wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, but it was better than nothing, “Where are they? Your roommates?”

At that, Daniel scoffed, shrugging his shoulders, “Have no bloody idea. They’re either out playing football, lounging somewhere or drinking.” He said. Martin nodded at that. He really didn’t mind. It was nice to get settled in the flat before they came anyway.

Suddenly, Daniel raised his finger and grinned, “Or Jamie is out playing footie, lounging or drinking while Stevie’s off with his exotic boyfriend.” He said, wagging his brows. Martin, on the other hand, furrowed his brows, leaning forward, hands pressing against his knees, “Oh. He’s gay?” Martin asked, and Daniel nodded, “Yeah. He’s dating a Spanish exchange student. His name is weird as fuck. Xabier. Call him that, he loves it, I swear.” Daniel snickered, and Martin raised his brow, “And what about Jamie?” He asked. He didn’t mind that Steven was gay, as long as he got his night’s sleep without having to listen to anyone having sex.  
“Jamie…he’s Jamie. Jamiesexual.” Daniel huffed out a laugh, “He likes himself. He occasionally brings women over, or goes to theirs, but he never has a long-time girlfriend.” He explained, and Martin nodded. Daniel looked at him and smiled, “You hungry?”

The rest of the day went quickly. Daniel had received a text from Stevie that said that Jamie would sleep at this ‘foxy blondes place’ while he would sleep at what Steven had referred to as (Daniel had NOTHING to do with that statement, that is for sure!) ‘This hot foxy Spanish guy’s place’.

Martin really didn’t mind. He and Daniel ate together, played FIFA for two hours before they both reckoned it was time to go to bed. School started soon, and Martin wanted to make a good first impression.  
As they lay in the bunk bed, in the pitch dark, they talked for a while. They talked about football mostly, and Daniel told Martin about Liverpool. That was, until Daniel went silent for a moment before he spoke.

“Hey, Martin.”

“Yeah?”

“I missed you.”

Martin didn’t know what to reply at first. He gnawed on his bottom lip, willing away a slightly tight feeling in his chest before actually answering.

“I missed you too, I guess.”

At that, Daniel snorted a laugh.

“You guess? I’m hurt.”

“Not like that, man. I mean, I missed you. Wouldn’t have come if I didn’t miss you and all.”

Martin could practically hear Daniel smile as the Dane laughed. Again, it made Martin smile to hear his laugh, “Cool.”

They lay in silence for another while, just listening to each other’s relaxed breathing before Daniel broke the silence again, “Well, I’m hella tired. Good night, Skittles.”  
Martin nodded, although he knew Dan couldn’t see him, “Night, Dan.” He said, yawning. Daniel laughed gently before shuffling in his bed and falling asleep.

‘It was definitely worth it to move here if I get to hear that every day’, Martin thought before falling asleep, his mind slightly fogged to let himself think like that. 

It was nevertheless true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So how did you like it? There will be more Skagger soon, I swear ;) Other pairings and footballers will be invovled.


	3. New twists and turns

Martin honestly didn’t know what he had expected regarding the issue of waking up when he decided to move in with Dan. He hadn’t thought much about it, if he was to be honest with himself.

Martin was so used to his mother’s gentle words and slight tapping on his shoulder; not used to getting a fucking pillow stuffed down his throat. As the pillow started cutting off his oxygen, Martin started flailing, kicking and punching. He stopped once the pillow slid off and he heard a groan, and a thump.

The Slovakian sat up, hand pressing against his smooth chest as he glared at Dan on the floor, dressed in only boxers and he was rubbing his shoulder. Once Daniel saw Martin glaring, he glared back, “You didn’t need to fucking punch me in the shoulder, man.” Dan hissed, and Martin scoffed, “Maybe you could have not suffocated me.”

Daniel blinked a few times, before he grinned and stood up, “Nah. But c’mon, I’ve already made breakfast for us.” 

Martin widened his eyes in surprise, “You did?” He asked, and Daniel nodded, walking over to the closet to grab a t-shirt, “Yeah, I’m just that nice.” He grinned at Martin, who scoffed once again and stood up, walking over to his luggage to grab a t-shirt and trousers. He hadn’t had the time to pack out completely yet, “I’ll be out in a minute.” Martin said and Daniel offered a thumb up as he walked to the kitchen. 

*

“So this is the science classroom.”

Martin glanced around the classroom that Daniel was showing him. It was one of the many classrooms they were going to use, “It’s a nice room.” Martin said, sounding genuinely astonished. He had never seen a classroom like this, not with the equipment here. His old school in Slovakia had had a few years with poor funding and didn’t have a lot of fancy equipment like this.

Daniel nodded and leaned against the wall, “Yeah, suck it up real good, all right? I didn’t get up early for nothing.” The Dane yawned and watched as Martin observed everything, taking in the whole room. He couldn’t help but to smile fondly as he watched him.  
Surely, Martin had changed a lot in sense of appearance, but he still was the same guy- curious, gentle, friendly- and Daniel liked that he still was kind of the same guy he’d missed so much over the few years.

Suddenly, Daniel was brought out of his daze by his phone, which beeped. He groaned and slapped his cheek mildly a few times- he was being as gay as Steven and Xabi right now- before looking at his phone. He grinned.

“Speaking of the devil.” He said to himself. It nevertheless drew Martin’s attention, who looked at Daniel with a questioning expression, “Who is it?” He asked, and Daniel offered a glance, “Jamie. He says he and Stevie are coming in a minute to meet you.” Daniel announced. 

Martin couldn’t help but to feel a bit awkward as he thought about meeting Daniel’s friends, and his roommates. He knew he had to meet them eventually, as he was going to live with them, but he didn’t know if they would like him or not. Apparently, Martin’s anxiousness was visible as Daniel walked over and patted his shoulder, smiling confidently, “They’ll love you, Skittles. Just tell them you’re into football and you’ll practically be a best pal.” He said, and chuckled, “Just don’t pick the wrong team, yeah?” Daniel said, making Martin frown, “Wrong team? What do you mean?” He asked. 

Daniel huffed out a laugh and sat down on a random desk, grinning at Martin, “You’ll find out soon enough. Just never say Manchester in front of these guys, I swear, it’s gonna be he-“He didn’t even get to finish that sentence before a ball hit the side of Daniel’s head.  
Martin widened his eyes in surprise, before glaring at the entrance to the classroom. He wasn’t keen on picking up a fight, so he didn’t say anything. Two boys stood there, and he guessed that was Jamie and Steven- if he wasn’t wrong.

“What have I said about mentioning those bastards in my presence?” Said one of the boys, who walked over to Daniel and locked him in a tight armlock. The other boy hurried to the other side of the classroom to fetch the ball, before returning to the others. Daniel punched the boy who held him in an armlock, and made him let go, “Shut up, Jamie. I was just fucking telling Martin.” Daniel said and frowned at the boy in front of him, Jamie. Jamie raised his brow, “Fine, fine.” He said.

Suddenly, the other boy approached Martin, who was standing by a desk, watching the scene unfurl. The boy extended his hand at Martin and offered a thin smile, “So you’re the famous Martin? Daniel’s been rambling on about you for weeks now, couldn’t bloody get him to shut up. Bit surprised though, he described you as small and blonde….not tall and bald.” The boy chuckled and shook Martin’s hand, once the Slovakian gripped his, “I’m Steven.”

Martin nodded quickly, having had a bit of trouble following what Steven said, “Martin, yes.” He nodded.

Steven nodded and glanced over at Jamie, who was arguing with Daniel, “That’s Jamie. He’s a bit of a buff, so don’t expect much from ‘im.” Steven chuckled. Apparently Jamie had picked up on the conversation when he heard his name and frowned at Steven, walking over, “Shut up. Yeah, I’m Jamie, nice to meet you and all.” Jamie gripped Martin’s hand and shook it forcefully, making Martin raise his brows in surprise.

Martin nodded at Jamie, before looking at Daniel, “So…this is your gang?” He asked as Jamie and Steven proceeded to sit by a desk, Jamie pulling some magazine out that the boys swooned over. 

Daniel grinned at Martin and nodded, “Almost. There are still a few Spanish transfer students we hang with sometimes, so you’ll probably meet them soon. Xabi’s probably gonna be around a lot, y’know, since him and Steven are basically joined by the hip.” Daniel said.

It was at that moment that three other people walked into the classroom. It was still early, but not unheard of that students came this early. The first two were two girls who sat down in the back, while the last one was a relatively tall, slender boy who immediately walked over to Steven and Jamie. Daniel grabbed a chair and nudged Martin, “That’s Xabi. Let’s sit down with them.” He said as he sat down by their desk.

Martin did the same and sat down with them, watching as Jamie continued looking through his football magazine, while Steven stood up quickly and pulled out a chair for Xabi, who seemed to insist that he could have done it himself. Martin quickly looked away as the two shared a kiss- it felt too intimate for him to watch, even though they were in public. 

“Is this Martin?” At that, martin looked back at Steven and Xabi. It was Xabi who had said it and he looked curiously at Martin, observing him almost. Martin nodded at his question, “I’m Martin. “ He said, and they shook hands briefly. Xabi smiled, “I’m Xabi. It’s nice to meet you finally. Daniel has been talking about you since foreve-“Xabi started, but was cut off by Daniel, “Okay, he gets it! I talk about him a lot, great, nice, and fantastic!” Daniel groaned and buried his face in his hands. He felt like this was going to be a long day. 

*

After a long day at school, Martin was slowly getting settled. He’d met his teacher, and a few more of Daniel’s friends- Another Spaniard, named Pepe, a guy named Lucas who was in his history class and a Dutch guy named Dirk. The school was so international because they were fostering future footballers, which he had been aware of once he arrived. Only the best made it to the Academy though.

At the end of the day it was time for P.E, which mainly consisted of football. Martin didn’t mind at all. He missed playing football, as he had quit his local team before he left and had gone a few weeks without playing. He’d quickly learned they already had a few good central backs, like Jamie and Daniel, but Martin felt like he could play well with them. Daniel and Jamie were already on the school team, and Martin was really going to work hard for a spot on the team.

“Hey, Martin!” Daniel jogged over to Martin and crouched down to fetch his water bottle. Martin offered a smile and nodded in acknowledgement at him, “Hi, Dan. Well played.” Martin praised, and Daniel smiled cockily, “I always play well.” He grinned at him and stood up with Martin, patting his back, “Let’s go back to the others.” Daniel said, his hand lingering on Martin’s back longer than necessary. Strangely, Martin didn’t mind though.

Suddenly, Daniel stopped as his body collided with another. Martin stopped suddenly as well, staring at the two people who had bumped into each other. 

As Daniel seemed to process who it was, he leaped back, eyes wide, “Fernando.” He said quickly, while the other boy was looking at his feet, “…Daniel. I’ll see you around.” He said and quickly scrambled. Martin remembered shaking this guy’s hand, but he didn’t seem nearly as anxious then. Martin stared at Dan in confusion, “What?” Martin asked as they started walking, Daniel frowning slightly, “Look, it’s nothing…just some history between me and him.” He said and sighed. 

At that, Martin stopped and looked at him with a stern look. Daniel tried to avoid it, but couldn’t. Martin’s eyes were piercing, almost judging, but also….pleading. Concerned. Daniel grabbed martin’s arm and hurried him towards the locker rooms that were empty since the training was still going on. Daniel sat down on a bench and sighed. Martin sat down beside him, “So..?” Martin asked, and Daniel tensed, shoulders squaring, “Look, it’s just… I used to go out with him, okay? For a few months. It’s only a few months back that we broke up.” Daniel explained.

Martin’s eyes widened in surprise. Dan had been…dating this guy? Dan was gay? He had no idea. Daniel had never told him about this, never. As Martin continued staring, Dan sighed loudly, “Look man, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you and all- I hope you’re not disgusted about it or something, that I’m…well, gay.” Daniel ran his hand through his hair and looked away, and Martin swore he’d seen a blush on those usually pale cheeks

It took a few seconds of silence before Martin spoke, “it’s….It’s fine. Why did he break up with you?” Martin asked. Daniel looked at him and folded his hands in his lap, “Well…Apparently, I was just a resort to loneliness. He has a boyfriend back home, back in Spain that he didn’t tell me about. I just couldn’t bear cheating on a guy so… I broke up. I wasn’t exactly gentle about it.” He ran his hand through his hair again, Martin’s eyes following the gesture.

Suddenly, Daniel turned to him again and he stared at Martin, “That’s why he reacted like he did.” Daniel said and looked at Martin one last time before looking down, “I’m disgusting.” He muttered.

Martin’s eyes quickly turned from confused to sad as he heard Dan. Without considering his actions, Martin wrapped an arm around Daniel’s shoulders. It instantly drew the Dane’s attention, who stared in surprise, “You’re not disgusting, Dan. Love is never disgusting, no matter what shape.” Martin said. It was something his mother had used to say to him.

Dan stared for a solid minute, before his face broke into a smile, a wide smile, as he looked at Martin, “Listen to you, you sap.” Daniel said in a slightly nervous voice, “But thanks.. It’s nice of you to say that, Martin. No matter how cheesy you sound.” He said, and Martin huffed, but smiled.

And to be honest, Martin wasn’t sure how to process what happened next. After that, silence dawned upon them and they were merely staring into each other’s eyes, as if trying to figure something out. 

Daniel drew a shaky breath before he muttered, “Fuck it.” and grabbed Martin’s head, pulling him closer until their lips met in a sweet, yet demanding kiss.

It was the last thing Martin had expected Daniel would do. Still, he found himself wrapping his arms around Daniel's waist and pressing his lips against Dan's and it felt so wrong, but so so right at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked it! Comments are very much appreciated, they make me want to write more :D If you want to keep up with updates, follow me on Mignoleeet.tumblr.com! I post there everytime a new chapter is out ;)


	4. Orientation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning!  
> There was something wrong with this chapter so it has been published in two separate parts :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry for the long wait. I've been busy and I'm currently on vacating in Turkey :) Had some hours to kill on the beach so I wrote another chapter.

Martin had never kissed a guy before. He'd kissed a few girls when he was younger, and he'd enjoyed that; soft lips, sometimes with lip gloss.   
Kissing Daniel was different entirely. His lips were thinner, and chapped, and he pushed with more force to Martin's slightly larger lips. 

Daniel pulled away eventually, their breath ragged and uneven. Their eyes were fixed at each other, almost curious. Martin was the first to speak, "Why did you-" he started, but Daniel cut him off quickly, running a hand through his hair, "I don't fucking know, man. I'm so sorry." Daniel quickly said, and Martin suddenly felt his heart clench. Hadn't he meant it?

"I guess seeing Fernando walk by made me....I don't know man, I'm sorry. We're cool, right?" Daniel said, hands pulling back to himself.

As much as Martin was a tough guy with well-built walls surrounding him and his emotions, and to not let people inside easily, this was overwhelming.  
Daniel had kissed him because of a former boyfriend. It felt downgrading and embarrassing, being someone's outlet and then be regarded as a mishap.

"We're cool." Martin said. If he had been eloquent, maybe he had made the situation better for himself. But he wasn't good with words. He was much better with expressing himself, if needed, through his body. 

Daniel offered a thin smile and offered a hand, to help Martin get up, "Cool.' Martin didn't take the hand. He pushed himself up and grabbed his bag, looking at Daniel with a blank expression. 

After a few moments of awkward silence, Daniel cleared his throat and threw his bag over his shoulders, "Yeah, Uh, I'll see you later, right? I'm gonna study a bit. See you, man." And he scrammed.

Martin would have said something, but he knew Daniel wanted to get away. If he was going to be honest with himself, so did he. 

The problem was that Martin knew almost nothing of this place, nothing at all. He didn't know where most things were, since it was his first day.

He went to the exit and he stood by the entrance to the pitch, squinting to see if he could see a sign somewhere that maybe would help Martin around.  
"Are you lost?'   
Martin turned around to see two boys whom he'd noticed on practice earlier. Daniel had mentioned who they were, but he didn't remember.   
"Yeah." Martin admitted and crossed his arms over his chest, bag still hanging off of his shoulder. One of the boys stepped forward and smiled, and Maritn could instantly tell that this was a nice guy. He had friendly, blue eyes and slightly curly, blond hair.  
The other boy, who stood behind him, had blue eyes as well, but he didn't have the same atmosphere hanging around him. His hair was blond too, but it looked like he'd just showered or something, although the rest of him seemed dry, "We can show you around. I'm Lucas, and this is Dirk. You're Martin, right?" Lucas asked, and Martin nodded.

"I remember because you were introduced to the team earlier. And you are very big, it is difficult to forget." Lucas said and smiled at him, and Martin couldn't even be offended. Dirk walked over and stood beside Lucas, "You seem like a good defender though. Tough." Dirk said and offered a crooked smile, and they walked, Martin following them.

He spent the next hours with Lucas and Dirk, sitting in a park by the school with some food and drinks. He'd told them a bit about himself.  
He didn't like talking about himself, but Dirk and Lucas were being so nice to him, and he felt like he could trust them. In exchange, he learnt that Lucas was a second year student from Brazil, in an exchange student program.  
Dirk was from Netherlands and was a third year student. Lucas and Dirk were best friends and hung out a lot, and Martin had a good time with them. 

After that, he went home to the apartment, exhausted after a long day. As soon as he opened the door, though, Martin heard noises. The apartment had previously been locked so he didn't think someone was home. It was dark as well, completely so.

Martin put his bag down and walked towards the noise, which was from the living room. He quickly turned on the light, and he heard a loud thump and a surprised noise.

On the couch lay Xabi, and on the floor sat Steven, groaning and rubbing his side. Xabi's shirt was ridden up to expose his chest, and as he noticed Martin looking, he tugged it down, a very thin blush adoring his cheeks.

"Steven said you were out with Daniel, I'm sorry." Xabi excused, and Martin shook his head, "Okay. Don't worry.' He said, "And Daniel left me to study a few hours back " he said. 

As if on cue, Steven stood up, still rubbing his side, "Fuck- text me next time before you barge in, lad!" Steven exclaimed and scowled at Martin, who scowled back. "I live here too" he said.

Steven sighed and sat down on the edge of the couch, "I know. Just scared me a bit there. You look like a fucking criminal- no offense." He quickly added, and Xabi hit him in the arm, muttering something about politeness.

Martin huffed and walked back to get his bag, "It is you who seemed like a criminal, making weird noises with the door locked and lights off." With that, Martin went to his and Daniel's room and packed out his bag, before hitting the showers.

After a good shower, Martin walked back to the room, a towel around his thin waist. He grabbed his phone and checked it for any messages.  
He had three; one from Steven, one from Lucas and one from Daniel. Martin bit the inside of his cheek once he saw that Daniel had texted him.

He read the messages:

Steven G:  
Hi. Sorry about what I said earlier, didn't mean it like that. You're a nice lad, don't take it personally.  
Anyway, I'm going out with Xabi, and Jamie is probably out practicing still. Don't burn down the house, alright mate? See you later.

Martin was actually happy that Steven had apologised. Martin was aware of how intimidating he could look, he really was. He still didn't appreciate it when people he barely knew phrased it like that. not yet. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like it? Please leave a comment, it really fuels my want to write :) Thank you for reading!


	5. Orientation #2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apparently, the whole chapter wouldn't load so the second part is here. :)

Lucas Leivaaaaaaaa :D : (That was not Martin's doing. It was Lucas who had put his own name and number into his phone)

Hello Martin! Obrigado for a nice day! Do you want to hang out tomorrow too? Me, Dirk and some of my friend Jordan's friends. Sound ok? 

Martin replied that yes, he'd like that. He liked hanging out with them. they were nice.  
Hesitantly, he opened the last message.

D.Agger:  
Hey Skittles. I'm sorry about today. I freaked out. Sorry for leaving you too. Can we just talk or something later?  
PS: I know I'm a douchebag, no need to point it out!! 

Martin actually smiled for a second as he read the message. It was nice to hear that Daniel did give a shit. He may not be romantically interested in Martin (Which was totally okay with Martin!) but he still wanted to be friends. Martin wanted that more than almost anything.

It had really been a long day. After replying to Daniel's text message, Martin lay down on the bed in a pair of boxers, ready to go to sleep.   
Something felt off though. Martin lay there, thinking about everything that had happened that day. He thought for a while, before he set his jaw, trying to stop.  
He didn't like pondering on things. He didn't like letting people in, but Daniel just had his way of wiggling himself past Martin's thick walls and into his mind...

"Fuck." Martin growled lowly and opened his eyes. His hand started rubbing his own muscled, smooth chest. Maybe a sank would get his mind off Daniel?

His hand slowly traced around his nipple, making Martin close his eyes and inhale slowly. His hand went further down and to the front of his boxers, rubbing himself lowly.   
A low moan escaped, and his hand slipped down into his boxers. He pushed them down past his thighs and gripped himself, giving a breath of relief as he felt his hand on his cock.

He stroked himself slowly, lips parted and eyes closed. It felt good, feeling small sparks of pleasure building up inside him as he felt closer to tipping over the edge. Martin moaned as he picked up the pace, stroking himself faster, teasing the head of his cock.   
In his mindless state, Martin pretended it was a mouth on him. Daniel's mouth. He fisted the head of his cock, imagining it was Daniel's lips wrapped around his cock, wet, hot heat engulfing him, making him moan. 

He was already close, and as he imagined Daniel bobbing his head on him, greenish eyes looking up at him through lashes, Martin lost it. He spilled over his hand and chest, moaning, "Dan, Fuck, Dan...Daniel..!" as he came. 

Martin lay there panting, trying to catch his breath. Once there, he grabbed a few tissues on the nightstand (As a guy, you always had to be prepared) and wiped himself off before tossing them into the bin.

Without further thinking about the fact that he'd just come from the thought of his friend blowing him, Martin fell asleep.   
Even in his sleep, he couldn't get Daniel off his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Martin gets into some deep, deep shit after getting drunk off his ass with Lucas- and it doesn't look pretty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally updated! Took me long enough- school and football has been eating up my time ;)  
> If you have any questions or want to contact me, my tunblr is mignoleeet.tumblr.com :)

“Martin! There you are, my friend!”

Martin’s head perched up as he heard Lucas’ friendly voice shout his name. He pushed his hands out of his pockets to greet Lucas with a quick hug, because the smaller man seemed to insist on embracing him. 

Lucas had kept his promise about them doing something. Right now, there were at a pizza place a few blocks down from school with some of Lucas’ friend. Martin barely recognized Dirk, but that was it.

The Brazilian quickly noticed Martin’s confused stare and smiled, leading him over to their table, “I’m so glad you could come with us.” Lucas offered, “Now, I can introduce you..” 

Lucas cleared his throat and the five people sitting there looked up, “Okay so this is Martin. He recently transferred from Slovakia.” Lucas smiled and nodded to Dirk, “You’ve already met Dirk.” He said and moved to the dark blonde beside him, who was messing with his hair, “This is my boyfriend Jordan.” Martin glanced from Jordan to Lucas- Jordan offered a smile while Lucas basically got heart eyes from just mentioning that they were sweethearts. But what could you expect from such a lovely and affectionate man like Lucas?

Then he moved onto the others in their booth, “Beside Jordan is his friend back from Sunderland, Simon.” Lucas said. Simon cleared his throat to clarify, “I’m not from Sunderland, but I moved there two years ago. I’m from Belgium.” He said with a timid nod, which Martin returned, offering a smile as well.

“And here is Daniel and Raheem. They’re great.” Lucas laughed and sat down beside Jordan while Martin squeezed in beside Daniel, who eyed him quickly before grinning brightly, “Man, I love the tats. Roll up your sleeve mate, I have to check them out properly.” At that, Raheem also leaned over. Martin nodded and rolled up his sleeve, showing off his expanse of ink on his pale skin. 

Raheem made a small ‘awesome’ while Daniel grinned, reaching out to trace the ink, “Aw man, I love it! Gotta get myself some ink eventually, it looks awesome on you!”

At the end of the night, Martin had bonded well with everyone and he had a great night, really. Lucas even talked him into flirting with a guy at the bar there. He was a tall brunette, hair in a ponytail. It wasn’t exactly his type but what did Martin care?

He ended up exchanging numbers with the man, who was named Andy Carroll, who hoped he’d ring if Martin wanted someone to warm the bed for him one night. 

After what happened with Daniel, he had to admit that yeah; He was actually considering the offer.

 

Martin didn’t come home to the shared flat before midnight. He was drunk. Simon, being the designated driver, helped him inside and to his bed. Then he left and Martin wanted to fall asleep. Of course, that wasn’t a fucking possibility in this flat, “Hey.”

It was Daniel. He didn’t turn on the light or anything so he couldn’t really see if it was Daniel, but he could recognize that voice anywhere. Martin rolled over, his angel-bowed lips stretched into a wide grin, “Heeeeey.” He replied, waving lazily. Daniel frowned; He could smell the alcohol from over there, in the doorway, “Oh… you’re drunk.”

“Yep!” Was Martin’s steady reply. He laughed before he went silent. Daniel sighed and sat down on his bed, “Yeah.. anyway Martin, I wanna apologize for yesterday. I… I really didn’t mean to stress you or humiliate you or-fuck… I just… I guess it’s not just because of Fer. I really like you.” He had mustered up all the courage he had.

And when he heard Martin snoring loudly, Daniel sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, not sure if he could drop that bomb twice.

 

The next morning, Martin awoke with the most killer headache of all time. He groaned as he sat up, rubbing his bald scalp. Slowly, he started glancing around through his bleary eyes. It was light outside already but it didn’t matter; It was Saturday now.

“So there’s the sunshine.” It was Jamie, who stood in the doorway with two cups of coffee. Martin glanced away with a frown, trying to ignore the pain. Jamie tutted and walked over, offering one cup, “C’mon lad, it can’t be your first time getting pissed.” He urged. Martin shook his head, “No.. it isn’t. Thanks.” He said.

Jamie nodded, “Anytime, mate. Now… We’re gonna eat breakfast soon if you wanna join us.” He offered before he walked out.

Martin got to lay in silence for a few moments before the door opened again, “Martin.” It was Dan. The Dane walked over to his bed and extracted his hand. Martin frowned and looked at it, surprised t see Daniel holdng his phone, “What were you doing with my cell, Agger?”

Daniel huffed, “It was ringing nonstop this morning. Som Andy wanted to get hold of you. Really smooth this boy of yours- started the line with saying ‘Hi sexy, wanna come over?’” There was a hint of anger in Daniel’s eyes, “What kind of stupid line is that? And who is this?”

He sounded jealous. If Martin had felt better and been more awake, he’d tell Dan he had no reason what so ever to be angry or jealous.

“He’s a casual fuck.” Martin answered with a shrug, as if it was nothng. Daniel’s jaw visibly clenched, “You’ve fucked him?” He asked, “No. Not yet.” At least he didn’t think so. He couldn’t remember shit from last night after he downed that second bottle- then again, he woke up at home. Nothing happened, probably.

Daniel frustratedly ran his fingers through his hair, obviously trying to find his words. It wasn’t always that easy to phrase yourself. Then, his gaze went on Martin, “Delete his number.”

Martin huffed and locked the screen to his phone, “No. I might need it.” He explained. Daniel cursed, “For fuck’s sake, Martin! Is this your way of repaying me?! Sleeping around?”

Martin stared at him with a hard look after that, “If I want to sleep around, I get to. I can sleep with whoever the fuck I want, Agger, so get out of my face!”

“No, fucker, no fucking way. So you didn’t like it at all? The kiss?” He asked

Martin glared at him, sitting up straight now, “Well, YOU apparently didn’t like it! I don’t wanna be some fucking backup!” 

“You…” Daniel started, his voice lower, gentler, “… You can’t.”

Martin frowned, but let Daniel continue, “You can’t because…uhm…” He scratched the back of his neck, “Because I like you. A lot. Used Nando as an excuse to kiss you probably, didn’t think it through.” 

Instead of melting like a pile of water, Martin glared harder, “Stop fucking around with me, Agger. It’s not funny.” Daniel glared back, “I’m fucking serious, Skrtel! I want you.”

Silence. Everything became silent between them. There was a huge pregnant pause, and no one commented on it. 

It took two full minutes before Daniel broke it, “Look… I just… I freaked out, okay? I’m not gay.” He was almost pleading, “But you’re different. When I think about us together it feels right, you know? It feels really right.”  
Martin had calmed down a bit as well, “… You better not be playing with me, Dan.” He breathed. Instead of replying verbally, Daniel climbed into his bed, put the cup aside and grabbed the back of Martin’s neck, “I’m not.” He said before leaning in, pushing their lips together for a second time. But this time, it felt oh so much better and Martin just grabbed him and his silly hair and kissed back.

Then, Stevie knocked on the door. They broke apart panting, eyes on each other for a second before their eyes moved to the door. Stevie peeked inside and furrowed his brows in both confusion and suspicion, but didn’t mention it, “There’s a guy on the door wanting to speak with you, Martin. Says he’d got something important to show you.”

 

Martin glanced at Dan before pulling on a pair of sweatpants and he walked to the door. The man standing there was Andy, who looked smug like ever- and if he hadn’t just made out with Dan, he’d probably consider him handsome looking this morning.

Then again, what really caught his attention to Carroll was the phone he was holding up, displaying a picture on the screen. A picture taken from a bathroom stall from above, showing Martin’s full lips wrapped around Andy’s dick. Martin stared in horror, his whole body frozen. 

Andy wrapped an arm around Martin’s waist, pulling him close, “It’s good to see you again, babe.” Before pulling him into a heated kiss.

And fuck- Martin could practically hear Daniel fuming and stomping towards them. This was not good.  
Definitely, not fucking good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Good? No good? Enough drama? Comments make me want to write! :)) THank you for reading!!

**Author's Note:**

> How was it? Kudos and comments are very much appreciated!


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